The first Young Researchers (YR) Group meeting under Haplo-iPS CA21151 COST action was held last week in Heraklion, Greece before the regular annual sessions of the Working Groups and the Management Committee under the project. The event was hosted by the Institute of Computer Sciences, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).
Participants in the YR group meeting had the chance to connect with leading experts in iPSC technologies and their applications like Ivana Barbaric (Center for Stem Cell Biology, University of Sheffield) and Ioannis Charalampopoulis (School of Medicine, University of Crete) who delivered keynote talks. Members of the YR group selected preliminary based on a dedicated call also delivered short talks during the event and provoked live discussions on the future of haplo-selected human iPS cells and cell therapies across Europe.
The YR group of Haplo-iPS is co-chaired by Leonardo Martin (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp) and Silvia Selvitella (Barcelona Stem Cell Bank, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute – IDIBELL) and offers an engaging platform for early-career scientists to collaborate, receive mentorship, and develop essential skills, empowering them to actively contribute to the project’s objectives.
The 3-day annual event of Haplo-iPS was followed by the meetings of the Working Groups (WG) under the project. Following a welcome address by the Chair of the action prof. Anna Veiga, leaders and co-leaders of the seven WGs reported on the achieved results during the last project period and outlined plans for the next. Over 50 members participating in the project had the chance to discuss advancements in the field and shape ideas for future activities and common initiatives.
The meeting was closed with Management Committee session during which the project coordinator Begoña Aran (reported on the financial implementation of the HAPLO-iPS COST action among other project management matters related to the third grant period. The Action Vice Chair David Morrow (Senior Scientific Programme Manager, EATRIS) presented the results from the Implementation of the COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy on behalf of HAPLO-iPS.
Haplo-iPS is a unique network offering state-of-the-art expertise of specialists from more than 30 countries, all with a common goal – the progress of haplo-selected human iPSCs generation and their therapeutical application for the benefit of patients.